Five hundred years ago, the most devastating war between humans and demons broke out in the Central Plains, lasting for more than a decade. In those days, spring failed to grow grass, scorching summers were filled with flying snow, and day and white night traded places—it truly seemed like the end of the world.
It was precisely at this time that among the mortal clans and the myriad Immortal Sects, an obscure cultivation sect called the Wuji Sect stepped forward. Its Sect Master, known as Wuji Zi, invited the Myriad Clans Sect, Lishan Sword Sect, Weapon Forging City, Myriad Beasts Sect, Five Poisons Divine Cult, and Talisman Sect to form an alliance and jointly subdue the demon race. Advancing and retreating as one, the seven sects finally achieved their first major victory after a decade of war against the demons. Afterwards, other Immortal Sects followed suit, forming alliances that drove the demon race out of the Central Plains from all four directions: east, west, south, and north. Thus came the origins of the lands of Dongyi, Xihuang, Nanze, and Beiman beyond the Central Plains.
Having forged a deep bond during the war, the leaders of the seven sects, to prevent the demon race from staging a comeback, established the strongest and largest sect of that era at the border between Liangzhou and Xihuang: the Peak of Yunxiao. All Immortal Sects across the realm looked up to the Peak of Yunxiao, and all rules concerning the immortal sects were set by them, bringing them boundless glory. Utilizing heaven-defying arts, the Peak of Yunxiao even created a home above the third layer of the heavens, naming it Yunxiao City. The entire city was surrounded by seven-colored clouds, looking from afar like a soul-captivating eye. Beneath this eye stood seven peaks of uneven height, resembling a hand holding up the eye from afar. Among these peaks, one that abounded in various kinds of bamboo was called Luzhu Peak. Right amidst the peaks stood a private school, where a group of innocent young disciples of the Immortal Sect were listening with rapt attention as their master recounted the origins of the Peak of Yunxiao.
A hand shot high up into the air. Master Lei Yunshen stopped reluctantly, glaring unblushingly at Wang Yun. "Wang Yun, do you have a question?"
"Master, earlier you said that the Peak of Yunxiao was jointly established by the Wuji Sect, the Myriad Clans Sect, Lishan Sword Sect, Weapon Forging City, Myriad Beasts Sect, Five Poisons Divine Cult, and Talisman Sect. But I heard that the Myriad Clans Sect is full of demons—does that mean one of our founding masters was a demon?"
As soon as Wang Yun finished speaking, the room fell so silent that the sound of everyone's heartbeat could be heard. Utterly speechless, Lei Yunshen slammed his book directly onto Wang Yun's head and shouted, "Get out! If your sword practice isn't going well, at least your bizarre questions are endless!"
Wang Yun had no choice but to scurry out in dismay. Turning back, Lei Yunshen saw Li Ping raising his hand. "And what question do you have?"
"You just said the Peak of Yunxiao was formed by seven sects, but I heard people say that the ancestors of the current Sect Master Yi used the art of moving mountains and draining seas to make an entire mountain float in the air, thereby creating the foundation for Yunxiao City."
"The ancestors of the Yi Family joined only after the Peak of Yunxiao was established," Lei Yunshen replied. "At the time, the Peak of Yunxiao was famous far and wide, and many minor immortal sects, along with various extraordinary individuals, also wished to join. They were all classified as the eighth lineage, known as the Visitors from the Eight Directions. Because their cultivation formulas and techniques are not passed down to outsiders, no corresponding main peak was established for them beneath Yunxiao City, but they remain active in the pugilistic world to this day."
"If the Yi Family doesn't live on the Peak of Yunxiao, why do they keep returning there, and why have they held the position of Sect Master for four consecutive generations?" Li Ping pressed on.
"Is this any of your business? Get out!"
Li Ping walked out casually, flashing a triumphant smile at Wang Yun, who was peeking back from around the corner. Standing side by side in the corridor, the two could hear Lei Yunshen beginning to chant the Tongshen Sutra, making them involuntarily want to bang their heads against the wall.
"Li Ping, did you do that on purpose?"
"I knew that as soon as he finished telling the history of the Peak of Yunxiao, he would start reciting the Tongshen Sutra. You might as well call this thing the Drowsiness Scripture—the moment I hear it, I want to sleep." Li Ping pulled a handful of stones from his pocket and secretly shoved them into Wang Yun's hand.
"You even got stones ready?"
"Who's like you, blockhead? What does it matter whether the founding master was human or a demon? What business is it of yours? When Lei Yunshen tells me to kowtow to the founding ancestors, I just want to climb up, draw my sword, and hack the ancestral tablets in half. What kind of ghost place is this, almost starving people to death? Come on, practice quickly, and once you get your aim down, we'll go hunt rabbits tonight."
Li Ping glanced inside, and making sure Lei Yunshen wasn't paying attention, he tossed a stone at a tree trunk twenty meters outside the corridor.
"Missed. Watch me."
The two practiced back and forth a dozen times, each of them managing to hit the mark every single time.
"I asked Young Master Li, and he said it's impossible to hit a rabbit with this amount of force."
"Didn't he go away on a journey?"
"He's back. He came back three days ago, and I specifically sneaked down the mountain to see him."
"Did you give him that Holy Spirit Fruit?"
"None of you dared to eat it anyway, so I might as well give it away."
"Did he give you a Sword Technique in return?"
Wang Yun shook his head helplessly. "You stupid blockhead, you just gave it away for free then. Couldn't you have asked him to give you a set of Sword Techniques first, and *then* given him the Holy Spirit Fruit?"
"How was I supposed to know if that fruit was real or fake? One book says one thing, another book says something else—dammit, couldn't those authors get their stories straight before publishing?" Wang Yun suddenly turned his resentment into joy. "Still, Young Master Li did teach me a trick on how to throw stones with greater force."
"I bet he was just playing with you so you wouldn't have to use your brain."
Channeling his spiritual energy to his wrist, Wang Yun let fly. The stone struck true, snapping a tree trunk as thick as a rice bowl, and the tree toppled straight toward the two of them. They scrambled away in panic.
Hearing the commotion, Lei Yunshen rushed out, only to find the two of them looking terrified, followed by a glance at the fallen tree.
"The both of you, confinement for half a month."